


Leaving Friday Harbour

by Mareel



Series: Grace Notes [3]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Family, Gen, Kaidan Appreciation Week, Kaidan Appreciation Week 2019, Music, Pre-Canon, Vancouver, Young Kaidan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 01:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20958086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mareel/pseuds/Mareel
Summary: We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.― Arthur O’Shaughnessy





	Leaving Friday Harbour

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place prior to the pre-canon AU story [Overture](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12485960). It is September, in Vancouver. As a violin student, thirteen year-old Kaidan is beginning to expand his musical interests and find his own voice. 
> 
> It is Elena Alenko's POV. 
> 
> As a backstory to [Overture](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12485960), this is part of the Grace Notes collection of stories in that AU. 
> 
> It was written for Kaidan Appreciation Week 2019 for the "Pre-Normandy Days" theme.

“Kaidan?” No reply. “Let’s go, sweetie. You wanted to go to the beach, right?”

It takes a few minutes for the music to pause. He’s been practicing since mid-morning. He has a performance tomorrow night, but he needs a break. It’s a beautiful early fall day; we should take advantage of it.

“Okay, Mom… coming.”

“Be sure to bring a sweater. The breeze off the water can get chilly. Just put it in your backpack if you don’t want to wear it.”

When he emerges from his bedroom, he’s carrying his violin case as well as the backpack. He probably combed his hair, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. But you have to pick your battles. Hair isn’t worth nagging about. And I have to admit to myself that I do love the tumbled dark curls. 

“You want to bring your violin along? We’re going to be out by the water, you know.”

“Can we go to the lighthouse?”

The request doesn’t surprise me. It’s his favorite spot along the coast. He’s not an especially beachy person, not in terms of sand and surf, but he enjoys our hikes along the shoreline. And it’s more of a rocky coast anyway, at least where we tend to hike. We’ve visited the Point Atkinson Lighthouse Park frequently, ever since he was a baby. Once he got old enough to tell us where he wanted to go, it’s been at the top of the list every time we’re in Vancouver. But he’s never talked about bringing his violin along. 

“We can, if you like. This is _your_ weekend.”

“Yeah, I do want to play there… up on the rocks, you know? Shouldn’t get wet or anything. And I think it would sound awesome.”

Okay, then. It’s up to you. Your father has the car all packed up with everything for lunch. We can picnic up there as well as anywhere. Let’s go, little one.”

______________________________________________________

“Beautiful day for a walk, Michael. Can I help you carry anything? I doubt Kaidan is going to be much help today.”

My husband laughs, hoisting his backpack. “I’m good. He’s got what he wants to carry.” 

Our son is already headed up the trail from the car park. There are several routes that lead to the lighthouse, but Kaidan has his favorite. I think I know where it is that he wants to play. He’s right; it will sound great. I’m glad he didn’t try to bring his good fiddle, though. There’s always a chance of getting some spray from the waves when the tide comes in.

“Hey Kaidan, slow down. Your old man is slower than you are!” 

He pauses, turning to wave, but it isn’t long before he starts walking again. We follow at our pace. He knows the way… but we have the food. 

I’m so glad he seems to be feeling well today. No headache. That’s always a possibility, and our plans have to allow for it. But today is a good day. He’s laughing and enjoying himself… and he’s outside in the fresh air. He spent a lot of time inside over the summer, practicing mostly. Except when he would take the practice sessions out into the orchard. He’s always liked playing outside, I guess. Especially if he thinks there’s no one listening. His favorite spot is behind a long-unused storage shed. I won’t say the sound doesn’t carry a ways across the orchard, but nobody bothers him there. 

When we emerge from the forest trail onto the beach, Michael slips his backpack off, resting it on a bench. “How about here? This looks like a good spot. That picnic table over there would be just right. Nobody else here right now, so we have our choice.” 

I nod. This was one of the places I’d had in mind. “Great view across the water… and up toward the lighthouse. Less people out today than I expected. I guess the tourist season is winding down.”

Michael moves the pack over to the table and begins unpacking it. “Yeah, such a clear day. We can eat lunch, and then you can hike out to those rocks you’ve got your eye on, Kaid.”

Our son doesn’t need to be asked twice about lunch. The doctors don’t know a whole lot about his biotics, but they agree that Kaidan has a very active metabolism and I know he’s always hungry. Michael tries to explain it as typical for a growing boy, but he’s not growing _that_ fast. He’s barely even a teenager… And he’s had that kind of appetite all his life. Fortunately he’s not a terribly picky eater. If Michael will eat something, chances are good Kaidan will like it as well. Like these roast beef sandwiches. I knew those would be a hit with both of my boys. Kaidan does especially love my pies, though. I packed one that I made this morning with the early apples from the orchard.

He settles long enough to eat a good lunch, including a large slice of that pie. He asks for another piece, but I suggest that he might wait a bit… maybe after he plays some music.

“Okay, Mom… can I go now?” He has already picked up his instrument case. And I notice that he’s saying ‘I’ rather than ‘we’. 

“We aren’t allowed to come along and listen?”

There’s a bit of a shadow across his face, but I can see that his eyebrows are drawn together. “Well… I guess, if you really want to… But, Mom, can I just go alone? I’ll be really careful on the rocks!”

I understand, probably more than Michael does, his need to be alone. Especially outside in a place like this. You’re not practicing, not performing, just playing your heart out. Michael and I met when he overheard me playing my cello in a secluded corner of a park in Singapore. There was just something very calming about playing for the trees out under the open sky… For Kaidan, playing for the sea and clouds in the shadow of the lighthouse might be a pretty similar experience. 

“Okay, just promise you’ll be really careful. Don’t want any broken bones. Take it slow and watch your footing…”

“I know. Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.”

And he’s off. 

Michael has been cleaning up the remains of lunch, leaving the pie out, but covering it. He moves to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around me as I watch Kaidan heading for the rocky shoreline. I cover his hands with mine and lean back against his chest. 

“Our little one is growing up.”

His voice is low and comforting. “That he is, Elena. I see more of you in him every day.”

“Is that a good thing?” I love teasing him.

I feel him dropping a kiss into my hair. “A very good thing. He’s also becoming a pretty damn good violinist.”

The faint notes of his music carry across the strand. I recognize some of it. But he’s also playing a mixture of music outside his usual classical repertoire. Definitely not Bach. I listen closely, trying to figure out what it is. “I think it sounds kind of Irish… or maybe Canadian, like Cape Breton music. Sounds like dance tunes. He must be in a good mood.”

“Yeah. That’s definitely a different genre for him. But I like it. He’s finding his own way into the music. I doubt his teacher is giving him those pieces to play, though. It’s all him.”

I thread my fingers through his, enjoying our time alone together, too rare in our busy lives sometimes. “Maybe he’s worried about us overhearing him playing something outside his curriculum. But I’m glad he is. It’s good to find your own voice. I did that sometimes. As a teenager, I liked to play some pop songs, some classic rock. My father encouraged it when I was living with him. My mother hated it. Kept telling me I was going to lose all my technique. Pfft… she didn’t even play an instrument herself.”

“Ha! I never knew that about you. Rebel cellist.” 

“Absolutely. And I’ve passed it along. Where do you think Kaidan learned his Beatles songs?”

Michael turns me in his arms and we share a quiet kiss. “He’s his own person, our little son. Playing traditional music on the beach this afternoon… Tomorrow he’ll play the Bach _Violin Concerto_ with the Vancouver Symphony. He’s got an amazing future ahead of him, Elena.”

“I’m still impressed that he won that competition. Especially after you had to talk him into auditioning. But once he committed to entering, he seemed to take it all in stride. It’s such a great prize, getting to play with the orchestra. He’d never admit it, but I do think he’s nervous about the performance tomorrow. I’d have been scared to death at his age.” 

“Yeah… me too. That’s why I’m so glad to hear him relaxing today, not just practicing the _Concerto_ endlessly. He’ll do fine.” 

I’m glad for Michael’s confidence, but I still worry. “I just hope he doesn’t get a headache…”

“I know. We’ve done everything we know of to try to prevent it… and admittedly that’s not much. But, It’s gonna be what it is.”

Sitting close together, we watch the waves and clouds for a long time. The tide is coming in and a light breeze is picking up. The days are starting to get shorter this time of year, and the light is changing as the afternoon passes. The one constant is the lighthouse, its beacon flashing steadily as the light shifts behind and around it. Kaidan has found something here that keeps drawing him back, and I’ve come to love this place as well. 

“I think maybe one of us should go retrieve him before it gets too late in the day.”

I untangle myself from Michael’s arms and get to my feet. “I’ll go. And try not to sneak up on him.”

As I get closer to where he’s playing, I pause to watch and listen. He’s sitting on a flat rocky outcropping overlooking the water, close enough for a great view of the lighthouse. He’s playing from memory or improvising… not sure which, since I don’t recognize the tune. It has a familiar sound, but I can’t place it. 

What really strikes me is how relaxed he looks. His playing is fluid, in both quick and slow passages. It seems like he’s really feeling the music and it shows. I know he loves the Bach he was rehearsing earlier, and his rendition was note-perfect and very much in the style of a Bach piece. But this… it seems like it’s coming from somewhere else in him. His heart maybe? 

He notices me now, lifting the violin from his shoulder as I approach. 

“That sounds really good, Kaidan. I don’t recognize the tune...”

“It’s called _Leaving Friday Harbour_.” 

“Ahh, okay. I was thinking I might have heard it once. Would you play it again?”

The smile lighting his face is my answer as he tucks the instrument under his chin, and I settle on a boulder near him. He’s not facing me… he’s looking out across the water. As the piece ends, I reach out to touch his shoulder. “Beautiful! It really suits this setting. I see why this place draws you.”

“Yeah. I’ve been wanting to do this… play here. I dunno, something about it… I just feel good here, you know?” 

“Yes. It’s great to find a place that feels like that to you.” I sigh, reluctant to suggest it’s time to leave. “We should probably go. Are you ready to head back? The tide’s coming in, and it’s going to get dark if we don’t start back soon.”

I catch a quick nod as he begins packing up. When he’s ready to go, he smiles up at me. “Did you like it… how it sounded here?”

“I did, little one. And I love that tune… it feels so close to home. Friday Harbour. That’s not far from here.“ We’ve been there a couple of times, taking the ferry to spend a weekend in the San Juan Islands. I remember Kaidan’s delight at getting to see orcas for the first time. “Where did you learn to play it?”

“Remember that fiddler we heard playing on the ferry that one time?”

“Yes, I think so.” 

Thinking back, I do remember. Kaidan was fascinated by the young man busking on board the ferry. He lingered nearby to listen during the whole passage from Friday Harbour to Victoria. The fiddler was pretty good, and I remember Kaidan dropping all his lunch money into his open instrument case as a tip, getting a smile and a ‘thank you’ in response. I really liked how kind he was to his young admirer. 

“I asked him what tune it was that he played first. It stayed in my head, I guess.”

He definitely has a gift. That was probably three years ago. “I’m glad to get to hear it again here, Kaidan. It really suits this setting. Thank you for sharing it.”

“Yeah. I really loved playing here, Mom. Everything sounded so amazing. So much different than in the house, you know? Maybe it was the sound of the waves in the background, or how the air felt so clean and crisp. I dunno. But It makes me so happy.” 

I hug him tight, and we start walking slowly back down the trail. 

“And that makes me very happy too, little one.” I love the joy that he’s obviously finding in his music. Love that he’s learning to play from both his head and his heart.

“Do you think Dad left us any pie?”

**Author's Note:**

> The music: 
> 
> [J.S. Bach - Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor [1. (Allegro moderato)]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7TFSsqnpHY)
> 
> [J. McCusker - Leaving Friday Harbour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0gkr2nUGHg)


End file.
